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Willow and Company
Oliver & Company is a 1998 American animated musical film in which a homeless dog named Willow joins a gang of cats to survive on the 1980s New York City streets. The film was produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation as their 27th animated theatrical release. It was released on VHS and laserdisc March 29, 1999. It was then released to video later that same year, and again in 2002 and 2009 on DVD. The film is inspired by Charles Dickens' novel Oliver Twist, which has been adapted many other times for the screen. In this version, Willow is a dog, Mr. Fart's gang is made up of dogs (one of which is Dodger), and Master Shake is a loan shark. Plot The film is set in 1980s New York City. An orphaned kitten named Oliver is left alone after his fellow orphaned kittens are adopted by passersby and he wanders the streets by himself. The next day, he is tricked into assisting a laid-back dog named Dodger into stealing food from a hot dog vendor. Dodger then flees the scene without sharing his bounty with Oliver. Dodger eventually arrives at the barge of his owner, a pickpocket named Fagin, along with his meal, to give to his friends: Bagela the Bombay, Walla the Shorthair, Sasha the Tabby and Rocko the German Rex. Oliver sneaks into their home, located below the city's docks, and is discovered by the dogs. After a moment of confusion, Oliver is then received with a warm welcome. Fagin, owner of the dogs, comes in and explains that he is running out of time to repay the money he borrowed from Sykes, a ruthless shipyard agent and loan shark. Sykes' Dobermans Roscoe and DeSoto attack Oliver but the cat is defended by Fagin's dogs. Sykes tells Fagin the money must be paid in three days, or else. Fagin and his pets, now including Oliver, hit the streets to sell some shoddy goods and perhaps steal money. Oliver and Tito attempt to break down a limousine but the plan backfires when Oliver accidentally slipping on the ignition key and falling over the dashboard and Tito being electrocuted by the cars' wires, causing the car's electrical system to go haywire, and Oliver is caught and taken home by the limousine's passenger Jenny Foxworth and her butler Winston. Jenny's parents, being rich, are away traveling the world and she adopts Oliver out of loneliness. Georgette, the family's pompous and pampered poodle is enraged and jealous by Oliver's presence and wants him removed. Dodger and the others manage to locate Oliver, and with help from Georgette they remove him from the house. Oliver later explains that he was treated kindly and did not want to leave, much to the shock of Dodger who felt that Oliver was ungrateful, but allows him the opportunity to leave. However, Fagin arrives, having surrendered to his fate, happened to have held Oliver who was about to leave. Fagin then discovers Oliver has been taken care of by a "very rich" owner from Fifth Avenue, and attempts to ransom Oliver so he would finally pay back Sykes, whom he later informs of his plan. Meanwhile, Jenny discovers Fagin's ransom note, and attempts to meet Fagin's demands, escorted by Georgette. Jenny meets with Fagin, who is initially oblivious that he had ransomed Oliver. Fagin, bothered by his conscience after realizing how downhearted Jenny was, changes his mind about the ransom and gives her Oliver back freely. Suddenly, Sykes comes out of the shadows and kidnaps Jenny, intending to ransom her. Dodger rallies Oliver and the other dogs to rescue Jenny from Sykes, but the animals are confronted by Sykes and his Doberman dogs after they free her. Fagin then arrives at the scene and saves the group with his scooter and a chase follows through New York, and right into the subway tunnels. Sykes, driving like a maniac, pursues Fagin through the subway. Jenny accidentally ends up on the hood of Sykes' car, and Oliver and Dodger attempt a rescue. Roscoe and DeSoto fall off the car in a struggle and die when they fall onto the train tracks. In an almost suicidal move, Tito takes control of Fagin's scooter as Fagin manages to retrieve Jenny, and Tito drives the scooter up the side of a bridge as Sykes' car drives straight into the path of an oncoming train, killing Sykes and throwing his car into the Hudson River. Dodger and Oliver managed to survive the train collision and are reunited with Jenny and the others. Later, Jenny celebrates her birthday with the animals, Fagin and Winston. Oliver opts to stay with Jenny but he promises to remain in contact with Dodger and the gang. Cast Joey Lawrence as Oliver: A cute orange kitten who is looking for a home. Billy Joel as Dodger: The carefree leader of Fagin's dogs and Oliver's first acquaintance and eventual best friend, and bodyguard. He is the object of Rita's affection. Cheech Marin as Ignacio Alonzo Julio Federico de Tito: A tiny Chihuahua full of passion and slight anger issues. Richard Mulligan as Einstein: A gray Great Dane and a member of Fagin's gang. He is named ironically as it seems he's quite dim. Roscoe Lee Browne as Francis: A bulldog with a British accent in Fagin's gang with a love of theatre. Sheryl Lee Ralph as Rita: A Saluki and the only female dog in Fagin's gang. She is street-wise and takes Oliver under her wing. Dom DeLuise as Fagin: A petty thief and a poor man on his bad side, but in truth, he is good natured and polite most of the time. Taurean Blacque and Carl Weintraub as Roscoe and DeSoto respectively: Sykes's vicious Doberman Pinschers. They have a hostile history with Fagin's pets. Roscoe wears a red collar and DeSoto wears one that is blue. Robert Loggia as Sykes: An evil loan shark and shipyard agent who carries a gun. Natalie Gregory (Myhanh Tran, singing) as Jennifer "Jenny" Foxworth: A kind, rich girl who takes care of Oliver. William Glover as Winston: The Foxworth family's bumbling but loyal butler. Bette Midler as Wally: The Foxworth family's show-winning Siamese; vain and spoiled, she becomes jealous of Willow but eventually accepts him and Fagin's gang. She is the object of Tito's affection. Frank Welker as Old Louie the hot dog guy. Category:Other Geo Animation Studios films